Refrigeration apparatus



P 1944- c. H. M FARLAND 2,359,137

REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Filed Sept. 11, '1942 2 Sheets-Shee t 1 .l ITNESSES:\ -23 J; mm?

WRRLES HMRCFgRLAND I I I 6' H F'JG. 2. 7%

ATTOR Y Sept. 26, 1944. c, H; MacFARLAND 2,359,137

REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Filed Sept. 11, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q11 RX FIG.&.

' 21 WITNESSES: F- -7- INVENTOR WW CHARLES HJMcFARLAND.

. 5 BY I ATTORZEY Patented Sept. 26, 1944 REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Charles H. MacFai-land, Rocky River, Ohio, as-

signor to Westinghouse Electric& Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a. corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 11, 1942, Serial No. 457,907

4 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerator cabinets and more especially to a shelf for such cabin It isv an object of the invention to provide a shelf for a refrigerator cabinet, which shelf is adapted to slide out of the way completely to make room for tall objects.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sliding shelf which occupies but little usable space in the refrigerator cabinet when slid out of the way. V These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in accordance with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the lower portion of the food-storage chamber of a domestic refrigerator cabinet with portions of the side wall broken away to show the sliding shelf of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the portion of the refrigerator cabinet shown in Fig. l as seen through the door opening of the cabinet;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the edge portion of the sliding shelf of this invention; v

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the edge portion of the shelf shown inFig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line V-V of Fig.4 and shows also the slide rail of thesheif;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line VI-VI of Fig.. 1;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of an edge portion of a modification of the sliding shelf of this invention and of a portion of the slide rail of the shelf;

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the edge portion of the shelf of Fig. 7 and of a portion of the slide rail of the shelf; and,

Fig. 9 is a section on the line IX-IX of Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings for a description of the invention, thereference numeral 9 designates a refrigerator cabinet defining a food-storage chamber ID. The cabinet ID has an access opening in the front wall thereof and a door I 2 for said access opening. The cabinet ||l may be cooled by any convenient means, such as for example a cooling unit (not shown) located in the upper portion of the food-storage chamber ID, as shown in the patent application of J. H. Ashbaugh, Serial No. 409,485, filed September 4, 1941, which became Patent #2,343,166 on February 29, 1944.

A high humidity food-storage vessel I3 is located adjacent the bottom of the food-storage chamber Ill. The vessel l3 comprises a stationary glass shelf l4 and a deep pan l6 suspended therebelow. The vessel [3 is spaced from the rear and bottom walls and from the door l2 of the cabinet 9 to provide an air-circulating path around the vessel l3 to cool the same. The convectional air currentsin such a cabinet are usually downwardl along the rear wall, forwardly along the bottom, and upwardly along the door I2 of the foodstorage chamber, as more particularly explained ries of round parallel bars-.23, each of which has a straight central portion 24 and two end portions 26. The end portions 26 are bent at an acute angle to the central-straight portion 24 and then looped around the extremity of the straight portion 24 of the bar 23 adjacent to the bar just described. The looped end portions 26 of each bar 23 form a bearing for the straight portion 24 of the adjacent bar 23 and, in addition, provide surfaces on which the shelf slides in the rails 2|.

The rear end of each rail 2| terminates a short distance from the rear wall of the cabinet 9 and the rear end 20 of the lower flange of each rail 2 I is bent downwardly to provide a rounded edge on which the looped ends of the bars 23 slide downwardly when the shelf I1 is pushed back.

It will be apparent from the above description that the shelf I1 is adapted to slide back and forth on the rails 2| and that, as the shelf is pushed back, the bars 23 slide off the rear edge of the rails 2| and drop progressively downwardly along the rear wall of the food-storage chamber and descend into the air duct between the vessel I3 and the rear wall of the food-storage chamber Ill. The air duct between the vessel l3 and the rear wall of the cabinet 9 thus also serves as a. storagespace for portions of the shelf II when the shelf is pushed back a substantial distance.

The shelf Il may be held inany desired position on the rails 2| by means of a clamping device secured to the front edge of the shelf H. The clamping device comprises a U-shaped channel 32 secured to the end portions 33 of the first bar 23 of the shelf Two guide plates 36 are secured near the ends of the U-shaped channel 32 and, two additional guide plates 3! are se- -cured at; a spaced distance from one another near the central portion of the U-shaped channel 32". A clamping bar 38 passesthmugh; an,

adjacent pair of guide plates 36' and; 31' is: journaled therein. Another and similar clamping bar 33 passes through and is journaled in: the other pair of guide plates 36; and 31. The two clamping. bars 38 and 33 are. co-axial, and, their adjoining ends 4| and 42-, respectively, are

spaced from one another. A slot 43' is formed:

in the central portion of the lower wall of the. U-shaped channel 32. An operating handle 44;v is-secured to the rod 39 adiacentto, butspaced' from the end 42 thereof and projects through oneend of the slot 43. A similar operating han dle 46 is secured in a similar manneruto the end: portion 4| of the rod 33 and projects throug the other end of the slot 43. A compression spring "engages the ends 4| and 4290f: the-rods 33 and 33, respectively; and bears against the two-operating handles 44 and 46 tobias the ends 48 and 43 of the rods 38, and 33, respectively, against the rails 2| adjacent thereto.

Thus, by forcing the two operating handles 44: and 46 together, spring 41 is compressed and. the clamping action of rods 38 and 39' against the rails 2| is released so that 'the, shelf, l1

may'be slid back and forth to any position along' the rails 21. On releasing the operating handles- 44 and 46, the spring 41 again biases the rods 38 and. 39 to exert their clamping action to hold the shelf l1 in the desired position. The shelf can thus be slid balck partially to provide storage space in front of the shelf fortall objects; and storage space for smaller objects on the remaining horizontal portion of the shelf.

A second modifllcationrof the shelf structure is shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9- and is designated. by the reference numeral 50. In this construc-- tion the end portions SI of a series of straight.

parallel rods 52 are looped to form a substantially complete circle. Tie links 53' are formed:

of an elongated metal plate which is provided with a hole '54 at one end thereof and a second hole 56' atthe other end. The looped end partions of. each rod. 52 pass through. hole 54" of one link and hole 56 of an adjacent link. respectively to form avchain structure at the edges of the shelf 50. Theshelf 50 slides on the rails;v

II in the same manner as described in connection with the shelf l1.

It will be apparent from the above that the shelf of this invention can he slid completely or partially toward the rear wall of a refrigerator and can be retained in any desired position. It. will be further apparent that when the shelf 01? occupies but, little: of. the usable. space: in;

this. invention; is slidi a1 tance. portions thereof at the rear 01' a vesselv in. the; cabinet:

food-storage chamber: ll.

While I have shown invention; in forms, itv will be obvloustothose. skill'edlnctil art, that. it is not. so: limited; but is 8mm of various other changes and modiflcationswith out departing from the-spiritthereot, and Ida- 'sire, therefore, that; only. such. limitations: M

be placed thereupon as. arev set: in the appended claims.

What. I. claim .is

1-. An articulated: shelf. comprising, EJ881181 offmetal rods, the central of" which are straightv and parallel to .oneanothersta vide anw article-supporting structure amithus end portions of which rods engage eachotherftm forma chainlike structure; to afford movement; of said. rods with respect toiones another...

2. An articulated shelf comprisinz a; slum of rods, the. central. portions or; and. parallelto each other; and; meieml'szcflmh. ofa plurality of said rods angle greater than. 90? purtion, and then, looped: the-stmizhamtion of one of the rodslying 'adjaoent 3. A member for an articulated. anti: member comprising'a rod of substantially unh form diameter, saiderod a portion, and two end portions each. an angle greater-than. 90? 'th swam tion and then looped into-a cincle; circles being. of a size andilocatedtoformalmcing for the straight portiomofasimilarl!" shelfmember passing: through each of'saidt citcles and lying parallelizand. close to the SW1 portion of said first-named rod;-

4'; A member for an. articulated; shalt; said member comprising. a rod; at substantially: uniform diameter, said rod having-a straight.

tral. portion and two end portions: eacln through an angle greater" thanv 907' with: the

straight portion, and then loopedv into-'aacitcieg;

saidoircles being substantially? co-axial 1! ing in planes at right. angles portion of the rod, said; planes the ends thereof, the inside diameter eithecir. cle into which said endportions arev ing only slightly greater than. the diameter of the rod.

cmmnszn. Micmnthrm.

intersecting; are straight portion at points within and adjacent" 

